This invention provides a PVC-based glueless dustless composite flooring material system that is efficiently manufactured and yields long-lasting, high-performing flooring.
Existing flooring-material products that use compressed dust as a core material are susceptible to damage and premature failure from water or other liquids, especially in damp environments and in uses that require frequent cleaning. The compressed-dust core, however, provides flooring material with certain desirable characteristics, such as sound-deadening. Elimination of compressed dust in the flooring composition requires a novel way to regain those characteristics through the use of different materials or different manufacturing processes.
Existing laminated flooring-material products that use glue or adhesive to bind the layers are susceptible to delamination and premature failure, especially in a damp environment. The handling, the application of, and the setting up or curing of adhesives adds complexity to the process of manufacturing flooring, making this step a potential bottleneck preventing efficient continuous-run or long-run manufacturing.
Applying a finishing coating to flooring material is a good way to improve the look and wear-resistance of flooring materials. But where the flooring material contains PVC, there are problems and issues in achieving proper adhesion of a finishing coating in the manufacturing process, and additional potential problems of premature delamination after installation. In order to get good adhesion in manufacturing, coatings requiring long curing times or complex handling are presently used. Polyurethane undergoes oxidative curing that is likely to take eight to ten hours. A two-part epoxy is likely to take at least thirty minutes to cure, which is still a long time and another potential bottleneck preventing continuous-run manufacturing. Also, two-part epoxy requires additional mixing and handling in the manufacturing process.
Surface designs and textures are usually printed on and pressed into flooring material, frequently imitating wood, stone, or tile. The present methods of applying these decorative patterns and textures are mostly limited to short, frequently repeating patterns that are impressed by a roller or plate of finite size. Where more than one color, tint, tone, or shade is to be applied, problems with registration frequently arise. Such limitations work against any ability to switch production from one decorative pattern to another. Once the production of a particular decorative pattern is calibrated and registered, there is some reluctance to make changes.
Where the manufacturer of flooring material has to address these problems, it is likely that either the price will go up or the profits will go down. If the problems are not addressed, the flooring material will likely fail prematurely. A flooring material that is free of glue and free of dust, but still having the desired qualities, is thus needed. A manufacturing method that is more efficient, more economical, more varied in decorative patterns, faster, and produces more durable and high-performing flooring material is also presently needed.
U.S. Publication No. 2011/0030300, published by David C. Liu on Feb. 10, 2011 for a “Floor and Tile with Padding,” discloses a flexible floor board with a pad attached to the bottom side of the floor board. The pad covers partially the bottom side of the floor board and extends beyond the floor board. The bottom side of the pad is covered with a restickable glue layer and the floor board has a male lock on one end and a female lock on the other end. A floor board is engaged with an adjacent floor board by pressing down the female lock of the first floor board onto the male lock of the second floor board. The bottom side of the first floor board that is not covered by the pad is placed into contact with the pad of the second floor board that extends beyond the second floor board. The Liu flooring was developed due to the need for a hardwood floor without the problems of both glue-down and floating installation. The hardwood floor was meant to be installed easily without messy glue, without delamination, without hollow area, and without quick water damage.
U.S. Publication No. 2009/0223162 was published by Hao A. Chen et al. on Sep. 10, 2009, disclosing a “Connecting System for Surface Coverings.” The publication provides for a blank that has opposing first and second ends extending along a width of the plank, opposing first and second longitudinal sides extending along a length of the plank, and opposing top and bottom surfaces. The plank can have a tongue edge at the first end and a groove edge at the second end. The tongue edge can be detachably lockable into the groove edge of an adjacent, identical plank. Surface covering systems having a plurality of the planks connected together are also provided. In particular, a preferred embodiment of the floor plank comprises (1) a top surface; (2) a bottom surface; (3) a first longitudinal side; (4) a second longitudinal side opposing the first longitudinal side; (5) a first end extending along the width of the floor plank and comprising a tongue edge; and (6) a second end opposing the first end, extending along the width of the floor plank, and comprising a groove edge. The tongue edge includes a vertical distal surface, substantially vertical to the top and bottom surfaces; a top planar slanted surface extending away from the vertical distal surface toward the top surface; a vertical lip extending downwardly from the top surface; a channel disposed substantially between the top planar slanted surface and the top surface, the channel comprising a channel bottom and a channel back, the channel back extending away from the channel bottom toward the vertical lip; a pinnacle rail connecting the top planar slanted surface and the channel, wherein the channel bottom extends vertically below the pinnacle rail, and the channel back extends laterally further away from the vertical distal surface than does the vertical lip; a bottom planar slanted surface extending away from the vertical distal surface towards the bottom surface; and a vertical shoulder extending from the bottom planar slanted surface to the bottom surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,795 issued to Keith E. Olson et al. on May 6, 2003 for a “Strippable Coating System.” In the Olson et al. patent, a radiation curable coating contains an agent that imparts greater strippability to the cured coating. The agent can be included in the coating or in one or more subsequently-applied maintenance coats. The curable coating may be waterborne, comprised of inorganic particles, and the agents that impart greater strippability may enhance adhesion of a radiation curable maintenance coat to the cured coating. The agent may further comprise a chain transfer agent that reduces the molecular weight of the cured coating, and in a preferred embodiment may contain an alcohol, ester, aldehyde, or mixture thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,730,388, issued to Richard C. MacQueen et al. on May 4, 2004, covers a “Coating Having Macroscopic Texture and Process for Making Same.” In one embodiment of the MacQueen coating, the coated substrate comprises a substrate, a radiation-cured coating or a thermally-cured on at least a portion of the substrate, wherein the coating comprises an inherent macroscopic texture. In another embodiment, the invention provides for a pre-cured coating mixture comprising a radiation-curable resin and an initiator, or a thermally-curable resin and thermal initiator, wherein the radiation- or thermally-curable resin and the respective initiator form a pre-cured coating mixture capable of forming a macroscopic texture upon application of the mixture on a substrate. In another embodiment, the MacQueen patent provides a pre-cured coating mixture comprising a radiation- or thermally-curable resin, an initiator, and texture-producing particles having an effective size to provide a macroscopic texture upon application of the mixture on a substrate. In another embodiment, the invention provides a coated substrate comprising a substrate and a radiation- or thermally-cured coating on at least a portion of the substrate, wherein the coating comprises an inherent macroscopic texture. Additionally, the patent provides a process for making a coating on a substrate, comprising the steps of distributing a pre-cured coating mixture comprising a radiation-curable resin and an initiator or a thermally-curable resin and thermal initiator over at least a portion of a substrate to form a pre-cured coating having a macroscopic texture, and radiation-curing or thermally curing, respectively, the pre-cured coating to form a radiation-cured or thermally-cured coating having the macroscopic texture.
Chinese Publication No. 204920130, published Dec. 30, 2015 by Yang P., covers a “Porcelain Timber Apron Brick.” The utility model of the Yang publication discloses a porcelain timber apron brick, including a ceramic tile layer, wood board layer, and waterproof layer. The wood board layer and waterproof layer are fixed respectively on both sides of the ceramic tile layer, with the wood board layer located on the upper surface of the ceramic tile layer. In the Yang tile, the thickness of the wood board layer and waterproof layer, in combination is less than the thickness of the ceramic tile layer. Being equipped with the wood board layer prevents the brick surface temperature from being excessively low, and improves comfort during use. The waterproof layer effectively prevents the waterlogging on the ground from entering the ceramic tile layer and wood board layer, granting a waterproof performance of the tile.
Chinese Publication No. 201972361 was published Sep. 14, 2011 by Liang Y. on a “Wood and Ceramic Composite Floor Tile.” The utility model of the Liang publication discloses a wood and ceramic composite floor tile comprising a core material, a panel, and a bottom plate, wherein the core material is arranged between the panel and the bottom plate. The core material is connected with the panel and bottom plate respectively through an adhesion layer, and is one or more ceramic tiles. Frame bars are also provided and are arranged at the periphery of the core material. The tile attempts to solve problems of ceramic tile in that existing wood and ceramic composite floor tiles are easy to damage, and feature high manufacturing costs. The disclosed tile provides for a composite floor tile that is difficult to damage, easy to process, convenient to install, and has high non-deformability features, thereby effectively lowering costs of the tile.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,166,718, issued May 1, 2012 to David C. Liu, covers a “Horizontally Engineered Hardwood Floor and Method of Installation.” The floor board includes a top decorative layer placed a plurality of strips. The plurality of strips is arranged to having some in X-axis orientation and some in Y-axis orientation. The plurality of strips also has characteristics that allow the wood floor board to be installed as a tile. Specifically, the Liu patent covers a high performance engineered wood floor board having a length, comprising (1) a top wood layer with wood grain lined up along the length of the floor board, the top wood layer having a top surface and a bottom surface; (2) a plurality of supporting strips attached under the top wood layer, a first subset of the plurality of supporting strips being oriented in a first direction and a second subset of the plurality of supporting strips being oriented in a second direction, the first subset of the plurality of supporting strips being separated physically from and without being in contact with the second subset of the plurality of supporting strips, wherein the top wood layer substantially covers the first and second subsets of supporting strips; and (3) an adhesive layer placed between the top wood layer and the plurality of supporting strips. The adhesive layer covers the bottom surface of the top wood layer. Additionally, a first supporting strip in the plurality of support strips has a locking lip, and a second supporting strip in the plurality has a recessed slot, and the locking lip of the first supporting strip of the high performance engineering wood floor board is able to couple to the recessed slot of the second supporting strip of the floor board.
International Publication No. WO 2005/116362A1 was published Dec. 8, 2005 by Delong Tao, disclosing “A Ceramic Wood Laminated Floor.” The floor of the Tao publication consists of a base layer that is made of ceramic tile, and a surface layer that is made of wood or bamboo. Between the surface layer and the base layer, a bonding coat is set. The undersurface of the base layer is equipped with an elastic pad.
This invention provides a glueless dustless composite flooring material system of PVC-based flooring having layers providing different qualities of hardness, wear-resistance, sound deadening, and decorative patterns, with layers fused together without glue or adhesives, with a UV-cured top coating, optional, changeable design printing and texturing, and optionally having an underlayment layer, which can be manufactured in a sheet-form, essentially continuous-run manner, with an ability to quickly and simply change the optional design printing and texturing produced, yielding a long-lasting, high-performing flooring product.